A new country has to start from square one. That mean institution building. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
The stamp today offers a formal portrait of an early leader of the first university in El Salvador. From it one does not get a sense of what an undertaking it was. That is understandable. As the national university, it is important to provide a sense of a rich academic history. Even if that is not the case.
Todays stamp is issue A154, a one Centavo stamp issued by El Salvador in 1947. It features Isidiro Menendez, and early leader of the University of El Salvador. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 25 cents used.
Initially the central American states formed a federation after independence from Spain. They were trying to stem the ambitions of Mexico and Gran Columbia on their territory. The federation was short lived, Latin America was breaking apart due to the petty squabbles of politicians and military men. The new countries were not working fast enough to make life better for their people so it was easy to stir up a mob to throw the bums out.
With the end of the federation of central America, it became necessary for the individual countries to try to set up institutions that a country processes. In El Salvador, the first President Juan Lindo tried to improve the educational situation. He ordered that every village over a hundred and fifty people set up a school that mandated attendance. To try to make this actually happen, he imposed fines on local officials that did not comply. Notice I have made no mention of a system to produce quality teachers. He also founded the first university in the capital of San Salvador. He appointed Isidro Menendez as it President. It should be noted that Lindo was himself Honduran and both him and Menendez were themselves educated in Guatemala. These tiny countries really had no tradition of education outside the ruling class and the Church.
Lindo went later to serve as President of his native Honduras and in cahoots with his successors in El Salvador launched a disastrous war with Guatemala. He and is El Salvador ally were forced to leave office but unlike his El Salvadoran ally, he was allowed to retire and not assassinated.
With the poverty and tumult, it is understandable that the University of El Salvador is more known as a hotbed of politics than an educational institution. Despite being founded by a right wing leader with much Church cooperation. The university quickly became a center of left wing agitation. This is understandable. The people in the school would be mainly from the better families. Those without an automatic opportunity upon graduation would find the education offered lacking and the opportunities opened up by the education lacking. This situation is common throughout the third world. Why wouldn’t the students blame the government?
Isidiro Menendez has another claim to fame beside his postage stamp. His name graces a soccer team to this day in El Salvador.
Well my drink is empty so I will open the conversation in the below comment section. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.